Have you ever heard or known anyone that's apathetic? You may not know what it means, but I'm sure we all know someone like that. How about that person who doesn't seem to care what you think or do. Or, maybe a person who could care less about you or your friends.

You stare are frustrated at them, how could they not care about you or what goes around them? Do they seriously think they're the most important person in the world? I bet you've felt fire raging inside you, you want to set them straight or force them to look around them and care. Some of us do, we take action and try to get that person to open their eyes and look at them, let them see what they've been missing. Others, we don't move an inch and hope that they'll change over time.

The more we observe them, we begin to think they're snobby, so high mighty and grand. We think things and soon grow to resent and hate them. They just don't care about others around them. How come they don't care if someone gets hurt? What makes things worse and sick to our stomachs is others step up and defend that person.

Why do they stand up for that person? They don't care about them or others around them. How can anyone even stand their presence? We've all had those kinds of days. We want to do something and step out of our comfort zone to beat the person straight. Sadly, when you look at yourself, does that make you any better?

Do we really know the people we trust?

X X X

"Wake up! I want to explore camp!" An energetic voice echoed outside the world a silver-she slept. "Get up! Get up!"

"No," the sleepy kit mumbled and curled her tail around herself tighter. A long groan emitted from her sister.

"Mothkit!"

"Honeykit!" Mothkit growled back, flattening her ears. Her sister prodded and nudged her shoulder. "Stop it," she begged, lifting one heavy blue eye. As if the sun was blaring in her face, Honeykit's golden pelt stood out like a bird's silhouette across a cloud.

"I knew you would wake up," Honeykit confirmed with a sly grin. "I can't believe you wanted to sleep through your apprentice ceremony. Talk about lame." Her sister shook her head. Mothkit's brain didn't keep up with her sister's fast mouth and only nodded.

Her paws stepped on something skinny and a sudden jerk beside her shook her awake. A lump of gray fur jostled, revealing bright yellow eyes. Mothkit waved her paw in front of her brother's face to wake him up. Beechkit's face wrinkled in disgust and he promptly shut his eyes to ignore them.

"Honeykit, why did you wake us up this early?" Mothkit yawned, stretching her jaws wide open to taste the morning scent. Her fur relaxed and she unleashed her tiny claws. Shaking head to toe, the she-cat glanced at her older sibling. Honeykit rolled her eyes.

"We're going to be apprentices! Obviously, I'm excited about this!" Honeykit bounced around the nest beside their mother's gray pelt. Mothkit sunk back into the warm pelt and felt herself blend in with her silver pelt." Runningkit and Olivekit are going to be apprentices, too!"

"Aren't they a few moons older than us? I thought they were two moons older, why are we becoming apprentices with them?" Beechkit asked, staying in his sleeping position and not getting up. Mothkit blinked and looked over at the other nest that held the fluffy black pelt of Hailbreeze, Runningkit and Olivekit's mother. The two smaller bodies of her friends were hidden or just covered up by the queen. Either way, Mothkit had no desire to wake them up.

Honeykit's smiled grew wider. "Simple! We're running low on apprentices, Swiftpaw and Deerpaw are the only two apprentices now, and they're becoming warriors today!" Beechkit lifted his head, now concerned.

"You're telling me that we're going to get five new apprentices and two warriors?" He questioned with a slight growl detected in his voice.

"Yep!"

"When did you learn this?" Beechkit challenged.

"I overheard Echofloght and Ripplestone talk about it." At this, Mothkit snorted. Honeykit's eyes darted over to her and narrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Ripplestone hasn't talked to Echoflight in moons. Since when have you seen or heard those two together?" Honeykit's eyes flashed, seeming to understand where she was coming from. Beechkit remained silent and glared outside the nursery den as if he could spot their stone, gray father.

The litter had only had Hailbreeze and Echoflight to lean on as a parent. Mothkit could only remember one clear moment when she met her father, and only to learn the hard way he didn't know who she was. It was understandable, she had thought back then, her father was only interested in Beechkit and Gorsekit, leaving Honeykit and her out of the picture. When Gorsekit went missing, that was when Ripplestone turned his attention into Beechkit. Instead, Beechkit had grown to resent his father and hardly ever talked to him.

None of that mattered to her as she grew up. Mothkit relied on the milk Echoflight provided and the strength of Hailbreeze. As days went on, she began to see less and less of Ripplestone, and soon, he faded out of her mind. Honeykit, however, clung onto the fact that Ripplestone loved them and just had a hard time expressing his feelings toward them.

"Trust me!" Honeykit protested, lashing her tail. "I heard Echoflight and Ripplestone talk about using becoming apprentices. It involved plenty of yelling at each other, but we're becoming apprentices today!"

"Why? We aren't six moons old!" Beechkit disclaimed, fur bristling with excitement and fear. Mothkit looked patiently at Honeykit for the answer.

"MeadowClan needs warriors and apprentices! We just have to become warriors as soon as possible!"

"We aren't even the size of Olivekit, and she's already smaller than most kits!" Beechkit argued.

"Not me," Mothkit pointed out.

"Don't you see? This is our moment to shine!" Honeykit yelled.

"Shhh!" Mothkit hissed, catching her attention. "Echoflight's still asleep! We don't need to wake her!"

"Don't worry, Mothkit." The kit jumped, looking behind her shoulder to see her mother shifting in her nest. Beechkit ran up and tried to help out, which she patted him on the head with her tail as gratitude. Honeykit sat down and curled her tail around her paws while looking innocent. Echoflight adjusted herself and smiled warmly at her kits. "I'm up," she licked the top of Mothkit's head, who squirmed under the wet tongue.

"Echoflight!" Honeykit exclaimed, standing on her toes and jumping around to get her mother's attention. Slowly as if to tease her daughter, Echoflight pulled Beechkit over with one of her paws and began to clean him. The brown tom didn't squirm under her tongue like Mothkit had. She wrinkled her nose at him as he purred, sucking up all the attention he could get from her.

"Is it true we're becoming apprentices today?" Beechkit asked, staring at his mother with wide eyes that shimmered brighter than the sun. Honeykit nodded sharply behind his back. "Honeykit says we are, but we aren't six moons yet!"

"We're four moons old!" Mothkit added, standing beside her brother for support while Honeykit firmly stayed where she was.

"Ah, so believe everything Honeykit says, don't you?" Echoflight purred, motioning for the yellow she-kit to come over. Honeykit reluctantly stumbled over and was pulled into the hug. "It's true, you are becoming apprentices at four moons old, not that I have any say in it."

"Why?" Mothkit asked.

"It's because..." Echoflight glanced at Hailbreeze then returned to her kits. "You'll be missing Runningkit and Olivekit with them as apprentices and they'll always be busy."

"No, we won't!" Beechkit protested, squirming around in the tight space. Honeykit let out a growl as he pushed into her personal space and Mothkit's. Mothkit stayed quiet and adjusted herself while Honeykit fought back. "Are we going to get in trouble with StarClan if we become apprentices?"

"No, not at all!" Echoflight reassured. "Why would you ask that?"

"We're breaking the Warrior Code already at four moons," Beechkit pointed out with a curious glare.

"Sometimes we need to push away the law for the things we need," Echoflight instructed, looking at each of her kits. "Your father," Beechkit's ears flattened at the sound of his name while Honeykit looked hopeful. Mothkit looked at both of them quickly and then tried to look mad, mimicking her brother's actions. "Your father and I have decided that it's okay if you become apprentices at four moons old, so if anything, we're the ones breaking the code."

"No, only him," Beechkit growled, standing close to her pelt. "You're doing nothing wrong, he's the one breaking the Warrior Code." Echoflight shook her head.

"Beechkit, your father loves you—"

"No, he doesn't!" he lashed his tail. Echoflight blinked at his action. "He's always mad at you and I don't like it!"

"He's not mad at me, honest," she purred.

"Yes, he is!"

"Settle down," she stated, her voice growing. Mothkit and Honeykit froze and Beechkit began to lower his rage. His eyes widened and he sunk further into the nest. "What I'm telling you is your father is proud of you all, even Gorsekit."

"Then why doesn't he look for him?" Beechkit muttered and Echoflight gently flicked him with her tail.

"It's dangerous outside camp, cats are going missing and we don't want to risk losing Ripplestone," she explained.

"I don't care—"

"That's enough!" She scolded, setting a paw on his tail and glaring at him with her icy blue eyes. Mothkit and Honeykit tumbled over one another as they ran out of the nest to avoid Echoflight's lecture. "Whether you like it or not, we need warriors and your father is one. If we lose him, we risk losing the entire Clan. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he mumbled.

"Do you understand?" Echoflight repeated, glaring down at her son until he looked at her in the eyes.

"Yes!" Beechkit snapped.

"I don't want to hear you talking bad about him." Echoflight turned toward the two of them and brought them back with a smile.

"Echoflight?" Mothkit whispered.

"Yes?"

"Does Ripplestone ever visit us while we're asleep?"

"Don't make him sound like a creep," Honeykit whispered into her ear with a sharp nudge on the shoulder. Echoflight reached a paw out and caught her fall and placed her back on her feet. Mothkit stared at her mother for the answer.

"He doesn't, but I talk to him about you guys anyway."

"Are you—"

Outside, a yowl shattered the silence throughout the camp. Mothkit whirled around to the entrance of the nursery as the figure of Hailbreeze began to shift. The sleek black pelt of Olivekit tumbled out with Runningkit's brown pelt. Echoflight pulled her back and covered her ears. Beechkit squeezed his eyes shut to block out the sound of the news. Another day was going by, Mothkit understood. Just like every other day, Mothkit would stay inside the nursery until the news had gone by and the morning meeting was over.

Even with Echoflight's paws over her tiny ears, there wasn't any way to stop the dread rising in her stomach. By now, Mothkit had gotten used to the desperate voice of a cat calling out for help. She didn't remember a single time or sentence spoken by any cat other than Echoflight that didn't have fear tainting it.

Another cat had gone missing, and no cat knew where they went.